The 38 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles

Roast duck by Pa Ord in Thai Town. | Matthew Kang LA’s definitive restaurants across an array of cuisines, neighborhoods, and price points  Every quarter, Eater LA publishes a map of 38 standout restaurants that best represent Los Angeles’s expansive dining scene. In this endless metropolis, there are both new and decades-old street food stands, a cornucopia of cuisines that reflect the city’s diasporic communities, and a bounty of Southern California produce so immense you’ll find it everywhere from fine dining institutions to mom-and-pop operations. An overarching theme of the Los Angeles food scene is that flavors need to stand out — ideally heat, acid, and umami are present in some form across a menu. At its core, the city’s far-flung neighborhoods, cultures, and flavors coalesce into an array of culinary boundary-bending restaurants that make it undeniably the most compelling place to dine in the country. Here are the 38 essential restaurants in Los Angeles. In the latest update, we’ve added insider tips to each write-up, including what the must-try dish is, how to avoid a nightmare parking situation, and what occasion each restaurant is best known for. Also, watch out for our new price categories, ranging from $ for an affordable meal under $25 a person to $$$$, which indicates a splurge that may be a better fit for a special occasion. New this update: Roasted Duck by Pa Ord, a Thai duck specialist with a singular focus; longstanding Koreatown nautical-themed dive bar and restaurant HMS Bounty; the home of some of LA’s best al pastor tacos, Taqueria Frontera; South LA sidewalk Jamaican soul food operation Tev’s Kitchen; the smash burger that can stand out from the pack at Goldburger; homey Korean restaurant Seong Buk Dong; Michelin-starred Taiwanese tasting menu restaurant Kato; Nancy Silverton’s wood-fired Italian kitchen, Chi Spacca; Hakata Izakaya Hero and its crispy, hot Jidori chicken karaage; definitive upscale Imperial Chinese restaurant Bistro Na’s; San Gabriel Valley soup dumpling dealer Good Alley; Northern Vietnamese-style restaurant Pho Ngoon; essential barbecue stop Ray’s; and acclaimed Arts District Levantine restaurant Bavel. For even more of an insider’s perspective on how to eat well in LA, pick up our new book: The Eater Guide to Los Angeles.